‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ First Installment Of A Prospective Trilogy

Some would consider it unprofessional of me to curse in an article that’s being published to thousands of people at the click of a button. So, for the sake of that, and with respect those readers, I’ll hold back on any foul language as best I can.

That much being said, several swear words flowed through my head when I read that Universal is planning to make Snow White and the Hunstman the first installment of a movie trilogy, despite the fact that the Snow White story has never been adapted as a trilogy. Yeah, yeah, it’s a different take on the character. Right.

Anyway, these plans were revealed today to EW. While the “story will end,” it’ll leave “questions remaining for these three characters.” I can’t imagine what those questions are; it’s a story that’s been told so many times, and we’ve known how things turn out since we were about five years old. Sure, it’s described as a “reinvention,” but I severely doubt they’ll be changing things up that much. Clicking on that link will bring you to a basic description of the character and the plot, and it just sounds like the typical “dark and gritty” approach that almost every reboot has ever taken. That way, they’ll at least be able to get more money out of audiences in the long run.

What really makes me incensed about this news is that we just kind of expect this thing to happen, in spite of the fact that it’s shameless. Storytelling is being hurt greatly by this method of stretching things out to a trilogy, which leaves movies — particularly in the fantasy genre — with unfinished stories — and the first movie is turned into something of a worthless exercise. Studios and filmmakers have forgotten the approach of something like Star Wars, which was just a standalone movie that never needed a sequel. George Lucas only made one with one in mind (I don’t care what he’s been saying for decades), and after it was a huge hit, and after there was a worthy story devised, they made it. And it’s a great film, one that can be watched without having seen the first in quite some time. Lord of the Rings is a story that needs the time to work fully, yes, but at least they were given the funding and time to make them all, and did so at once. In just under a decade, we’ve lost that element of franchise building, and it’s a huge shame.

Directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, and seven great actors as the Dwarfs, Snow White and the Huntsman will open on June 1st, 2012. But don’t be silly enough to expect the entire story to be told in one installment.

How do you feel about this being stretched out to a trilogy? Do you think that it’s excessive for Universal to do this?